SYLLABUS – FALL 2010
SC 099 The Sociology of Migration
Time: MWF 2:00 – 2:50
Location: 300 Campion
Instructor: Adam Saltsman
Department of Sociology
Office: McGuinn 410 D
Office hours: Monday 12:30 – 1:30pm; Wednesday 12:30 – 1:30pm
Sociology 099 and the Core Curriculum
The Sociology of Migration is a part of the Core Curriculum. As such, it raises questions
central to the study of society, employs an inter-disciplinary approach, and challenges
students in personal, ethical and spiritual ways.
1) The Long Standing Perennial Questions: The movement of people from one
place to another is central to the foundation of all civilizations and the social order
that we know today. As such, migration is a rich topic for raising and answering
the most fundamental, perennial questions of sociology. What is a social system
and how does it change as a result of migration? How does migration affect the
relationship between people and the state? Between various states in the global
system? To what extent can our current forms of domestic and international
organization be understood as systems of stratification and social domination in
terms of how migrants move, are considered, and handled?
2) Historical Perspective: Our approach in this course is to answer these questions
through a historical and case-based methodology: specifically, the examination of
case studies of different forms of migration in various parts of the world over the
last two centuries. We rely on in-depth studies of migration to the United States
during the last century as well as the massive build-up of displaced persons in the
Global South.
3) Cultural Diversity: This course examines migration as it relates to race,
nationality, and class. We explore in detail how migrants are perceived and dealt
with by various states and their publics, in the context of colonialism,
neoliberalism, and globalization. This course also examines the role of religion in
migration and the relations between migrants and their host-countries in terms of
transnational social, ethnic, religious, economic, and racial links.
4) Methodology of the Discipline: The course explores work that draw on
comparative, historical, economic, and case study methods. Students mainly read
qualitative material but there is attention to quantitative data and assessment of
debates about the accuracy of data on migration and its impact on society.
5) Creating a Personal Philosophy: Migration involves personal issues that are
deeply challenging: about ethics, legality, economic exploitation and ethnic and
religious issues. Students are encouraged to reflect personally about the material
they read and to bring their own values and spirituality into frequent small group
discussions and short papers. The course inevitably leads students to challenge not
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only their longstanding view of immigration, but their deepest personal and moral
commitments.
6) Writing Component: Because of the challenging nature of the material, students
will have opportunities to write about their own evolving perspective on
immigration. Students will have the opportunity write a research paper about one
case study, and also write essay-based mid-term and final exams.
Course Overview & Objectives
We begin the class by considering migration a continuum between voluntary and
involuntary movement within and across borders. Beginning the semester with a focus
on voluntary migration, we will first look at the conceptual framework for recent
decades’ debate about immigration. Recognizing the sensitivity about migration at this
time, we give special attention to the diversity of perspectives contributing to the
polemical discourse in the United States and elsewhere on the topic. We consider
migration in terms of gender, race, and the state and we look at the role of undocumented
migration in contemporary society. Moving towards a consideration of involuntary
migration, we will consider human smuggling and trafficking, the legal protection of and
humanitarian assistance to refugees, and displacement in a variety of contexts.
Course Goals & Requirements
(1) A solid understanding of major debates in the study of migration, and
(2) Hands-on experience doing some empirical research on the topic of migration.
Assessment of your final grade will be broken down as following:
1. Participation/attendance: 10%
2. Group project/class presentation: 25%
3. Midterm take-home exam: 30%
4. Final take-home exam: 35%
Readings: Readings for this course are available online. They may be accessed through
the course Blackboard site or directly from the O’Neill library course reserves website.
In addition, the four books listed below are on sale at the BC Bookstore. These will also
be available on two-hour reserve at O’Neill.
Class attendance is mandatory. Since I don’t want to waste too much time taking
attendance, I will not take roll every day. Instead, I will take attendance at intervals
during the semester and give occasional pop quizzes. If you are not there for one of those
classes, you will not be penalized, but after that, unexcused absences will impact your
final grade.
Academic Honesty: Students are expected to comply with the standards for academic
honesty outlined in the University Catalogue (http:// www.bc.edu/integrity). Any
plagiarism or cheating will result in a CLASS grade of “0” and notification of the
academic dean.
Books to Purchase
Abusharaf, Rogaia. 2009. Transforming Displaced Women in Sudan: Politics and the
Body in a Squatter Settlement. University of Chicago Press.
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De Genova, Nicholas. 2005. Working the Boundaries: Race, Space, and “Illegality” in
Mexican Chicago. Duke University Press.
Portes, Alejandro and Josh DeWind (eds). 2007. Rethinking Migration: New Theoretical
and Empirical Perspectives. Berghahn Books.
Waters, Mary C. 1999. Black Identities. West Indian Immigrant Dreams and American
Realities. Russel Sage Foundation.
Course Website: There is a Blackboard Vista site for this course (cms.bc.edu). This site
includes a link to online course reserves, a copy of the syllabus, and a site for posting
assignments. All readings and assignments will be available through the “Course
Materials” link on the homepage of this course’s blackboard site, though you will also be
able to access most—but not all readings—through course reserves. Those readings not
available through course reserves are marked as being available via the Course Materials
link.
Syllabus key:
CR = Course Reserves
CM = Course Materials folder found at the blackboard vista site for SC099
Course Schedule
I. Introduction & Basic framework
Week 1: Sept. 8 & 10
Readings:
1. Heisler, B.S. 2008. “The Sociology of Immigration,” in C.B. Brettel and J.F.
Hollifield, eds. Migration Theory: Talking Across Disciplines. Routledge: Ch. 2,
Pp. 83 – 111 (CR)
2.
Massey, Douglas S. 1999. “Why Does Immigration Occur? A Theoretical
Synthesis." in C. Hirschman, P. Kasinitz and J. DeWind, eds. The Handbook of
International Migration: The American Experience. New York: Russell Sage
Foundation. Ch. 2, Pp. 34-52. (CR)
3. International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (CM)
4. Convention on the Rights of Migrants and their Families (CM)
5. Convention on the Rights of the Child
6. International Covenant on Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights
Assignment #1: Due Monday, September 13th (Assignments folder)
Week 2: Sept. 13, 15, 17
Readings:
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1. Waters, M. and R. Ueda. 2007. The New Americans: A Guide to Immigration
Since 1965. Cambridge: Harvard University Press. Ch. 2: “Immigration in
Global Historical Perspective.” Pp. 14-28. (CR)
2.
Gans, Herbert J. 1999. “Toward a Reconciliation of ‘Assimiliation’ and
‘Pluralism’: The Interplay of Acculturation and Ethnic Retention,” in The
Handbook of International Migration. Ch. 8 Pp. 161-171 (CR)
3. Zhou, Min. 1999. "Segmented Assimilation: Issues, Controversies, and Recent
Research on the New Second Generation." Pp. 196-211 in The Handbook of
International Migration (CR)
4.
Portes, Alejandro. 1997. ‘Immigration theory for a new century’,
International Migration Review (CR)
Optional reading:
Rethinking Migration, Ch. 1 “A Cross-Atlantic Dialogue: The Progress of Research
and Theory in the Study of International Migration”
II. Perspectives on Migration:
Week 3: Sept 20, 22, 24
Readings:
1. Castells, Manuel. “Immigrant Workers and Class Struggles in Advanced
Capitalism: The West European Experience,” Politics and Society, 1975, Vol. 5,
Pp. 33–66. (CR)
2. Bacon, David. 2008. “The Right to Stay at Home: Transnational communities are
creating new ways of looking at citizenship and residence that correspond to the
realities of migration” Dollars and Sense. September/October. (CM)
3. Bacon, David. “Displacement and Migration” in Illegal People: How
Globalization Creates Migration and Criminalizes Immigrants. Beacon Press.
2008. Ch. 3 Pp: 51-82. (CR)
4. Gloria Anzaldua. 1999. 2nd ed. Borderlands=La Frontera: The New Mestiza. San
Francisco: Spinsters/ Aunt Lute. Ch. 1: “The Homeland, Aztlan/El Otro Mexico”
pp. 23-37. (CR)
5. Working the Boundaries, Ch. 2
Optional reading:
Moore, Stephen. 2006. “Give Us Your Best, Your Brightest: Immigration Policy
Benefits U.S. Society Despite Increasing Problems” in Messina, Anthony M. and
Gallya Lahav, eds. The Migration Reader: Exploring Politics and Policies. Reinner
2006. Ch. 8.3 pp. 329 – 333. (CR)
Week 4: Sept. 27 & 29, Oct. 1
Readings:
1. Borjas, George J. 1999. Heaven’s Door: Immigration Policy and the American
Economy. Princeton: Princeton University Press. Ch. 1 “Reframing the
Immigration Debate” Pp. 3-18 (CR)
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2. Huntington, Samuel Who Are We? Ch. 8: “Assimilation: Converts, Ampersands,
and the Erosion of Citizenship” Pp. 178-220. (CR)
3. Adams, Richard H. Jr. “Remittances, Poverty, and Investment in Guatemala,” in
Ozden, C. and Maurice Schiff, eds. International Migration, Remittances, and the
Brain Drain. Washington, D.C.: World Bank. Chapter 2, Pp: 53-80. (CM)
4. Levitt, Peggy. 2001. The Transnational Villagers. Berkeley: University of
California Press. Ch. 2 “Social Remittances: How Global Culture is Created
Locally”, pp. 57-72. (CR)
5. Sanchez, George J. 1999. “Face the Nation: Race, Immigration, and the Rise of
Nativism in Late-Twentieth-Century America” Ch. 20 pp. 371 – 382, in The
Handbook of International Migration. (CR)
Optional reading:
Huntington, Samuel. Who Are We? Ch. 9 “Mexican Immigration and Hispanization”
Pp. 221-256. (CR)
W. Kymlicka, ‘Immigration, Citizenship, Multiculturalism: Exploring the Links’, in
Sarah Spencer (ed.), The Politics of Immigration (Blackwell, 2003), pp. 195–208.
(CR)
III. Global circuits and the feminization of migration
Week 5: Oct. 4, 6, 8
Readings:
1. Rethinking Migration: Chapter 6 “Migrant Transnationalism and Modes of
Transformation”
2. Glick Schiller, N., Basch, L., Szanton Blanc, C. 1995. “From Immigrant to
Transmigrant: Theorizing Transnational Migration,” Anthropological Quarterly.
68(1): 48-63 (CR)
3. Levitt, Peggy. 2001. Transnational Villagers. Ch. 6: “God is Everywhere:
Religious Life across Borders.” Pp. 159-179. (CR)
4. Hochschild, Arlie R. 2002. “Love and Gold,” in Hochschild, A. and Ehrenreich,
B., eds. Global Woman: Nannies, Maids, and Sex Workers in the New Economy.
New York: Holt. Ch. 2, pp. 15-30. (CR)
5. Brennan, Denise. 2002. “Selling Sex for Visas: Sex-Tourism as a Stepping-stone
to International Migration” in Global Woman. Pp.154-168. (CM)
6. Media articles on Arizonan immigration laws (TBD)
Optional reading:
Levitt, P., Dewind, J., Vertovec, S. 2003. “International Perspectives on
Transnational Migration: An Introduction,” International Migration Review.
37(3): 565-575.
IV. Undocumented migration, the state, and identity
Week 6: Oct. 13 & 15 (OCTOBER BREAK – NO CLASS ON MONDAY
OCTOBER 11TH)
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Readings:
1. Working the Boundaries. Ch. 6
2. Rethinking Migration: Ch. 2, 9 & 10
3. Zolberg, Aristide R. 1999. "Matters of State: Theorizing Immigration Policy." Ch.
4, Pp. 71-93 in The Handbook of International Migration (CR)
Optional reading:
1. Working the Boundaries. Ch. 3
2. Rethinking Migration, ch. 5: Freeman, Gary. “Immigrant Incorporation in
Western Democracies”
3. Castles, S. and M. J. Miller. 2009. The Age of Migration, 4th edition. New York:
Guilford. Ch. 8 “The State and International Migration: The Quest for Control.”
(CR)
4. Mountz, Alison. 2004. “Embodying the nation-state: Canada’s response to human
smuggling,” Political Geography. Vol. 23, Pp. 323-345. (CM)
5. Pawakapan, Niti. 2006. “‘Once were Burmese Shans": Reinventing Ethnic
Identity in Northwest Thailand,” in Centering the Margin: Agency and Narrative
in Southeast Asian Borderlands. Berghahn Books. Ch. 1, Pp. 27-53. (CR)
V. Race and Migration
Week 7: Oct. 18, 20, 22
Readings:
1. Black Identities. Chapters 1, 3-5, 8
Group presentations on Arizonan immigration law
VI. Political violence and forced migration
Week 8: Oct. 25, 27, 29
Readings:
1. Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees, 1951 (CM)
2. Monsutti, Alessandro. 2005. War and Migration: Social Networks and Economic
Strategies of the Hazaras of Afghanistan. New York: Routledge. Ch. 1 Pp. 3-27.
(CR)
3. Sassen, Saskia. 1999. Guests and Aliens. New York: The New Press, Chapter 5:
“The State and the Foreigner” Pp. 77-99. (CR)
4. Van Hear, Nicholas. “Refugees in Diasporas: From Durable Solutions to
Transnational Relations,” Refuge, 2006, 12(1): 9–15. (CM)
5. Bales, Kevin. 2002. “Because She Looks like a Child” in Global Woman. Ch. 14,
pp. 207-229. (CM)
Optional reading:
Van Hear, Nicholas. 1998. New Diasporas: The Mass Exodus, Dispersal, and
Regrouping of Migrant Communities. Seattle, University of Washington Press. Ch.
5, Pp. 151-194. (CR)
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Midterm due: October 25
Week 9: Nov. 1, 3, 5
Readings:
1. Helton, Arthur C. 2003. “What is Refugee Protection? A Question Revisited” in
Problems of Protection: The UNHCR, Refugees, and Human Rights. Routledge.
Ch. 2, Pp. 19-36. (CR)
2. Crisp, J. 2003. A new asylum paradigm? Globalization, migration and the
uncertain future of the international refugee regime. Working Paper No. 1, New
York: UNHCR. (CM)
3. Sperl, Markus. 2007. “Fortress Europe and the Iraqi ‘Intruders’: Iraqi asylum
seekers and the EU, 2003-2007,” New Issues in Refugee Research, Research
Paper No. 144, pp: 1-19. http://www.unhcr.org/470c9be92.html (CM)
4. Chimni, B.S. 2004. “From Resettlement to Involuntary Repatriation: Towards a
critical history of durable solutions,” Refugee Survey Quarterly (2004) 23 (3):
55-73(CM)
Optional reading:
Frelick, Bill. 2007. “Paradigm Shifts in the International Responses to Refugees,” in
White, J.D. and A.J. Marsella, eds. Fear of persecution: Global Human Rights,
International Law, and Human Well-Being. Lanham, MD: Lexington Books. Ch. 2,
Pp. 33-58. (CR)
VII. Encampment and the International Refugee Regime
Week 10: Nov. 8, 10, 12
Readings:
1. Harrell-Bond 2002 “Can Humanitarian Work with Refugees be Humane?”
Human Rights Quarterly. 24(1): 51-85. (CR)
2. Hyndman, Jennifer. 2000. Managing Displacement: Refugees and the Politics of
Humanitarianism. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press. Ch. 1 “Scripting
Humanitarianism: A Geography of ‘Refugee’ and the Respatialization of
Response,” Pp. 1-28. (CR)
3. Hyndman, Jennifer. Managing Displacement, Ch. 5, Pp. 114-147. (CR)
4. Voutira, Eftihia and Barbara Harrell-Bond. 1995. “In Search of the Locus of
Trust: The Social World of the Refugee Camp,” in Valentine, Daniel E. and John
Chr. Knudsen, eds. Mistrusting Refugees. Ch. 11, Pp. 207-224. (CR)
VIII. Experiencing displacement
Week 11: Nov. 15, 17, 19
Readings:
1. Transforming Displaced Women in Sudan, Ch. 2-4
2. Turner, Stuart. 1995. “Torture, Refuge, and Trust,” in Mistrusting Refugees. Ch.
3, Pp. 56-72. (CR)
IX. Resettlement as a durable solution
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Week 12: Nov. 22 (THANKSGIVING BREAK – NO CLASS ON NOV. 24TH OR
26TH)
Readings:
1. Nawyn, Stephanie J. 2010. “Institutional Structure of Opportunity in Refugee
Resettlement: Gender, Race/ethnicity, and Refugee NGOs,” Journal of Sociology
and Social Welfare. 37(1):149 – 167. (CM)
2. Dona, Giorgia and John W. Berry. 1999. “Refugee Acculturation and reacculturation” in Alastair Ager, ed. Refugees: Perspectives on the Experience of
Forced Migration. London: Pinter. Ch. 7: 169-196 (CR)
3. Hyndman, Jennifer and Margaret Walton-Roberts. 2000. “Interrogating borders:
A transnational approach to refugee research in Vancouver,” The Canadian
Geographer. 44(3): 244-258. (CM)
4. IRC Commission on Iraqi Refugees. 2009. Iraqi Refugees in the United States: In
Dire Straits. International Rescue Committee. (CM)
X. Urban displacement, protracted displacement, and disaster-induced
displacement
Week 13: Nov. 29, Dec. 1 & 3
Readings:
1. Jacobsen, Karen. 2006. “Refugees and Asylum Seekers in Urban Areas: A
Livelihoods Perspective,” Journal of Refugee Studies. 19(3): 273-286. (CM)
2. Grabska, Katarzyna. 2006. “Marginalization in Urban Spaces of the Global South:
Urban Refugees in Cairo,” Journal of Refugee Studies. 19(3): 288-307. (CM)
3. Kromm, Chris and Sue Sturgis. 2008. Hurricane Katrina and the Guiding
Principles on Internal Displacement: A Global Human Rights Perspective on a
National Disaster. Institute for Southern Studies. Pp. 5-29 (CM)
4. Pittaway, Eileen. 2008. “The Rohingya Refugees in Bangladesh: A Failure of the
International Protection Regime,” in Adelman, Howard, ed. Protracted
Displacement in Asia: No Place to Call Home. Hampshire, UK: Ashgate. Ch. 4,
Pp. 83-106. (CR)
5. Farah, Randa. 2003. “The Marginalization of Palestinian Refugees” in Problems
of Protection: The UNHCR, Refugees, and Human Rights. Routledge. Ch. 9, Pp.
155-178 (CR)
6. Loescher, Gil and James Milner. 2008. “Understanding the problem of protracted
refugee situations,” in Loescher, Gil, James Milner, Edward Newman, and Gary
Troeller, eds. Protracted Refugee Situations: Political, Human Rights and
Security Implications. Tokyo: United Nations University Press. Ch. 2, Pp. 20-43.
(CR)
7. Slaughter, Amy and Jeff Crisp. 2008. “A Surrogate State? The Role of UNHCR in
Protracted Refugee Situations,” in Protracted Refugee Situations. Ch. 7, Pp. 123140. (CR)
Week 14: Dec. 6 & 8
Wrap-up: Readings TBD
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Final due: December 8
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